All Good Things

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On Nov. 12, 2012, I posted my first blog article for Slate. This article you are reading right now is my last.

After 1,541 days and more than 3,000 articles, I’m moving on. Starting Wednesday, I will be writing at my new blog home: Syfy Wire.

I know, this may seem like an odd jump, but it actually makes perfect sense. Syfy Wire (formerly Blastr) has always been a news outlet for science fiction, but Syfy has made a solid commitment to expanding its coverage to everything the genre encompasses. And what’s the first word in science fiction, eh? Science, technology, social issues … these are the foundational aspects of great science fiction, and issues about which I’ve been writing for years. Perhaps you’ve noticed. So I’m happy to communicate the real-world aspects that happen to tie into fiction.

I’ve written many times how science fiction has inspired me and so many other scientists. It’s a natural fit for me—and a lovely way of coming full circle—to be able to give back to the genre and tie it together with real life. Much of the science fiction of today is the reality of tomorrow.

If you follow me there you won’t see much change in what I write. I’ll still cover astronomy, space exploration, politics, and the odd goat picture or two. You can still find me all over social media, of course. I keep links to that centralized at about.me.

As for Slate, it’s been an amazing 4.22 years—

… holy wow. Writing that out, I just realized: Right now, the light from me sitting at my computer writing my first post on Slate has traveled almost the same distance as Proxima Centauri is from Earth. Sadly, Proxima is in the Southern Hemisphere, so that light cannot reach it (the Earth is in the way), but soon that light will pass many stars in our galactic neighborhood. We know most stars have planets, so I have to posit: If there’s anyone watching on those exoplanets—and they have really big telescopes—they’re about to get an eyeful (or whateverful) of what we humans here on Earth know about the Universe. How about that?

We part amicably, but part we must. Thank you to my current editor Susan Matthews and Editor-in-Chief Julia Turner for their support, to past editor Laura Helmuth and Editor-in-Chief David Plotz for their encouragement and kindness over the years, and to all those at Slate who are keeping the fires of journalism burning at a time when it’s more important than ever.

Most of all, of course, my thanks to you, Bad Readers, for indulging me all this time. I hope you follow me to Syfy Wire. There’s still so much I have to say, so much I have to show you—the Universe is big, and getting bigger every day. No matter where I am, I’m compelled to share it with you. Come along then.